Fable: The Throne of Heroes
by DruidFWY
Summary: "Tell me Guildmaster, when there comes a time when Albion and the world will be destroyed, and a new civilisation will be forged in its ashes; whatever will happen to the Heroes of old...will there ever be heroes?" Weary eyes stared back at the mask "Jack, you know as well as I Heroes will always exist, we will never die for we are born through Fate, when the world needs us most."
1. The Chamber of Fate

**AN: Hello again to all from Druid; for any of you whom read Creation of All Things and are showing support for this new very short story, thank you very much! **

**In fact, the ideas really wasn't too new...I actually had this in mind for quite a while (i.e. for more than six months) but I lacked too much fundamental knowledge of Typemoon and especially FSN. Why did I write this...because I want to.**

**Hence, this will indeed be short and will take place within the Fable universe, though there will be hints of Typemoon events. It is more a prologue fic, which provides background for other authors to use when they decide to write a FSN/Fable cross.**

**There may be a few more chapters from this story coming up; I will rotate between this and Creation of All Things, for now here is the first Chapter. Lastly, I know of foundation knowledge for FSN but if there are any fundamental errors just let me know and I will see if they apply.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or Fable, this is fanfiction for a reason.**

**"Powerful being talking/chant"**

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The Chicken Chaser... that was his most humble title when he first started to make a name for himself in the great, big world that was Albion...though he did realise in time that there was more to Gaia than Albion itself, but it was highly unlikely that he would ever travel abroad, so it might as well been the world for him.

Now who would have thought that in a span of about 100 years he has gone from the scrawny little boy trying to find three gold coins to acquire a box of chocolates for his sister to near mortal-god with the powers equivalent to the Great Archon himself?

Now he has gained fame and renown across Albion, people from Bowerstone through to Knothole Glade called him Avatar, Guildmaster, the Hero of Three, and in some cases _chosen one_...indeed the people of Albion did come up with some melodramatic names and in some cases downright cliché.

Now the privilege to be regarded as a _normal_ person is a luxury in itself, one that was beyond his reach. He stopped the incursion of Jack of Blades, helped many a people in need and was now Guildmaster after the death of Weaver. Furthermore, not many people with the exception of his sister Teresa know of his real name, though frankly he came to the conclusion that using his real name would be too troublesome, so he resigned himself to be called Avatar or Guildmaster, but many still called him Hero for short. Whether it was through some unexplained divine mandate or just the people's inclination to worship him rather than hear him speak, it was an obscure mystery.

It has been decades since his confrontation with Jack of Blades, and Albion was at peace for a time. As the years rolled by the people of Albion had less need for heroes, and with time the Heroes Guild started to empty. The second Guildmaster was at his study in his private quarters, pondering about what the future would hold, for him and the fate of Albion, whether it is near or distant. His sister, quite promptly disappeared after he cast the Sword of Aeons back to the void. He knew she was alive, that much was certain but nothing more.

"**Brooding again...**_**Hero?**_**" **spoke a dark voice, its direction coming from an ornate mask on the Guildmaster's study table.

"What do you want Jack? And will you EVER stop calling me that?!" the Guildmaster spoke sharply to the mask, albeit tiredly...but the edge is ever-present. If any person were to have seen the old Hero spoke to a mask, they would have associated it with the burden of paperwork slowly but surely starting to poison the nigh invincible Hero. Truly, it was a bane of existence, an enemy so vile and fearsome that the Archon himself failed to stop it.

The truth is, the Hero _is_ talking to a mask, but the mask itself also spoke back.

Thus begins a mystery of what took place when the Guildmaster confronted Jack of Blades back at the Chamber of Fate, many believed the Void Ancestor to either be vanquished or returned to the void upon its "death", however the truth had been very much different...

**Flashback:**

In the Centre of the Chamber of Fate, stood two individuals both of them male; they could not have been any more different in terms of appearance, aura and presence. The person to the left adorning a pale white cloak, and beneath the cloak was a silver coloured armour that seemed to glow in the darkness of the Chamber, he wore an intricate helmet that covered his entire face with the exception of his eyes, which glowed a bright blue, radiating with barely restrained power. In his right hand was a very well crafted long sword, which also glowed a silver hue.

The person to the right looked very different, he adorned a blood red hooded cloak that fully covered his head, and underneath the cloak was light plated armour that was jet-black in colour. A white ornate mask covered his face, making his appearance as indiscernible as the man in silver; however his eyes were the most discernible trait of the man, which were a sick slitted yellow instead of the other's piercing blue. There were also two different masks that were hung on the front of his torso which completed his appearance. In his right hand however, was a long sword with a blood red hilt and a long black blade inscribed in ancient runes. The sword was easily larger than the one wielded by the man in silver, and was at least half the size of himself. It was surprising to note that the man in red seemed to hold it effortlessly with his right hand.

Lastly, there was a woman, being imprisoned in a wall of magic energy, her eyes were covered by a grey cloth, it was obvious that she was blind. The blind woman was 'staring' in the direction of the silver-armoured man, her face showing off hints of worry.

Who were these individuals? Oh the people of Albion were very aware who the two men were, to the left was one of Albion's mightiest heroes, the Avatar, Hero of Oakvale whilst to the right was one of the three members of The Court, Jack of Blades (1). It was clear to anyone whom would have been there that there was some kind of bad blood between the two Godlike individuals, but that was unsurprising since Jack practically killed Avatar's mother in order to re-acquire the sword he had to painstakingly worked his arse to forge Aeons ago, which lends itself to the aptly named Sword of Aeons...the name was surprisingly convenient, and held an air of mystique and awe at the same time.

And lastly, the blind woman was Theresa, the Hero's older sister, being held captive by Jack.

**"So here we are again **_**Hero**_**, a battle of unimaginable proportions...it was indeed a touching family reunion, the mother, the son and the daughter. However...your mother's death was a necessity in order to bring back what is rightfully mine. Now that I am whole, it is your blood next and then I will see what to do with this world...burn it perhaps?" **The Jack of Blades declared, his yellow eyes radiating with cruelty and malice, though there was an undertone of an indiscernible feeling that the Hero could not find out, if he had to hazard a guess, it was akin to desperation.

Moments ago, he saw Jack slit his mother's throat non-existent with non-existent remorse or hesitation. He was shattered to witness her mother's death but to his shock that was about it, that deed did not fill him with hate for the masked man, but rather an instinctual thought of finding out what were his true motivations, and to stop him as soon as he could.

"There is more to this than what you have said Jack, you are a ruler at heart, a manipulator; you would rather see yourself instilling your will over Albion rather than seeing it burn. There is simply no gain on your part to destroy it" Jack was silent for a very short moment, before he took up a combat stance, his right arm holding his blood-forged sword and his left a summoning spell.

**"How very astute of you Hero, certainly a far cry from the naive little boy those many years ago, are you not? Perhaps we can come to an agreement, best me in combat and you can keep Albion away from my grasp for a little while longer, and perhaps I will let you on a little secret. There is more to The Court that meets the eye more than what **_**William Black**_** perceived us to be." **His summoning spell was complete and in moments ten Wardogs (2) of the Court materialised and focused their full attention towards the hero.

The Wardogs charged towards the hero, their double-bladed swords poised to strike; the Hero acted fast and used his time-control manipulation to slow everything around him. He dodged every strike from each Wardog and effortlessly sliced through the vulnerable parts of each minion. In seconds, one, two, three Wardogs were killed off, evidenced by their dispersal in the form of a red mist, the Hero continued on, executing them with startling efficiency.

Jack gave an impressed hum; in his mind this was going to be a very entertaining and perhaps very dangerous fight, perhaps as dangerous as his battle with Black. Without hesitation, Jack entered the fray as the Hero dispatched the last minion.

The Hero caught the telltale light of an Assassin Rush and placed his sword in a defensive posture, in moments Jack was in front of the Hero, and both were now lock in a fierce swordfight. Jack's Sword of Aeons was the stronger weapon, its power amplified by the hands of its creator. However, the Hero adorned Archon's armour, and his longsword; Harbinger was no pushover either. The legendary weapon and raiment was more than able to compensate for any advantage that Jack's sword had over his own.

The swordplay lasted for a moment before both individuals were locked in a tight deadlock, both Hero and Void ancestor fighting for dominance.

**"Oh how the young have grown, almost the perfect replica of the **_**Archon**_**" **he said the word with a slight tone of disdain. **"I must say you are indeed filled with surprises, but I have a few of my own"**. Jack dashed and made some distance from the Hero, and charged up his blade. He made a swiping motion and a wave of blade-like invisible air, surged from the Sword of Aeons towards the Hero; he made a quick dodge, and avoided the deathly blade-like wind by a few inches. It collided with the walls of the chamber and he could see a very clear part of the wall being cleanly sliced off. The Hero remained undaunted; he channelled mana into his body and performed an Assassin Rush towards the Masked Ancestor. Upon doing so he made renewed attacks on Jack, with increasing speed and ferocity; Jack was hard-pressed to defend himself from the Hero's unrelenting strikes and soon enough the Hero landed a firm punch with his left fist on Jack's masked face, making him stagger slightly.

That was when the Hero struck with his sword again, wounding the Ancestor of the Court slightly and he planted a firm kick towards Jack's stomach, launching him a few metres. Although launched back, Jack still managed to land upright, his eyes gleaming with glee and slight respect for the Hero.

Said Hero did not let up, he charged his left hand with Od and willed fire to form, the intensity of the flame was then strengthened with Mana; in seconds he launched a large fireball towards Jack, hoping to deal further damage to him, though it was unlikely that the fireball could do too much.

The fireball hit its mark as it landed on Jack, which in turn resulted in an admirable explosion of fire; when it subsided, the Hero was unsurprised to see Jack almost undamaged. A normal person would have been shocked that the fireball had little to no effect on the Ancestor, but the Hero knew the reason why.

**"That spell of yours actually turned out much stronger than any other Hero, it seems like you have discovered the secrets of Will."**

Indeed, the Secret to Will that not even Maze himself could discover; it took many years of practice, meditation and observation in the practice of magic for the Hero to understand Will in its entirety. However, the breakthrough came from the Hero's discovery of a very well hidden demon-door hidden deep in the mountains of Knothole Glade.

Frankly speaking, it was merely by luck that he encountered the Demon Door, and the only requirement it asked of him was blood-test. It claimed that only someone with the blood of the Archon was allowed entry, and surprisingly enough the door recognised him as a descendant. Through the door, was the Archon's stash of tomes, containing lost knowledge of Strength, Skill and especially Will. It was from his old tomes that the Hero of Oakvale discovered the two components that made up Willpower, rather than just mana.

The contemporary Guild member and aspiring Hero had no true knowledge of Will and most merely assumed that it was all part of Mana, the life force and energy ever present in the world. To them, only the Archon and perhaps the three members of the Court of Blades knew of the true nature of Will; however with the Hero's discovery, that made five individuals. Will was made up of two very distinct components; Mana, the universally recognised energy of the World, and Od; the energy ever-present within any human or animal that lived and breathed. The Guild apprentices and others merely harnessed one portion of Will, resulting in their difficulty in creating more destructive spells, or in Maze's case, doing them quickly. Maze was an exception due to the endless amount of training and experimentation on his part to improve his mana use, but that was it.

With that knowledge, the Hero of Oakvale was determined to keep it a secret until someone else he deemed worthy enough, he shall teach.

"You used reinforcement, didn't you?"

**"Ahh yes, reinforcement...such a simple concept that holds so much use. Makes the brittle bones of an aged man as strong and unbreakable as the hardest diamonds"**

**"However there is more to Will that meets the eye, that much I can vouch Hero. You have certainly placed me on edge throughout our conflict, and I believe it is time to step things up." **Jack dashed to the centre of the Chamber, and his body started taking a flame-like cloak. His entire person then levitated and the Sword of Aeons now in front of him. The Hero then heard the Ancestor chant.

_**"I am the Jack of Blades;**_

_**First be the Queen, third be the Knight;"**_

The Hero did not like where this is going, it felt as if reality itself in this chamber was being bent; and likely replacing it with whatever twisted image the Void Ancestor has in mind. Jack was levitating and hence was out of his sword's reach; he placed Harbinger back to its sheath and took out his Longbow.

_**"Thousands a blade I have forged;**_

_**Thousands a blade I have mastered;"**_

He was now frantic, the Hero took out an arrow and charged it with Will, and he released the arrow which was now split into multiple shots of energy converging towards the Ancestor.

_**"Blood of many, to forge my will;**_

_**Will to bring about the fate of man;"**_

The arrows hit their mark, but the arrows dispersed due to the barrier of Will protecting Jack from further harm. He then attempted to destroy it with more destructive spells, lightning, fireball, force push, anything but the barrier remained strong. The Hero sighed, it looks like he could not reverse or prematurely stop this, so he placed his bow back and held on to Harbinger, ready for whatever would take place.

_**"As I declare on by the will of the void, Court of Blades"**_

A massive wave of fire came from Jack's body, moving outwards; the Hero had no choice but to cover his eyes with his sword. He was slightly surprised by the lack of heat from the fire which by then would have gone through him. When he opened them once again, he was met with a very grim and _foreign_ sight.

* * *

**AN: Like I say, most of what I write tend to be experiments in one way or another, this is a prologue fic and will provide some significant linkage of how Fable will influence the events in Fate/Stay Night, and perhaps the bulk of Typemoon. And once the story ends and the links are drawn...CHALLENGE!**

**Jack of Blades is still one of the MOST Underrated antagonists in gaming, kind of sad he had SO much potential but is now merely a whisper in Molyneux fans. I also felt that Jack of Blades would have mixed in well with FSN. In fact, Fable in its entirety would mix well with FSN, Heroes Guild, Throne of Heroes, am I the only one to notice the potential there?**

**The end there...smells like a reality marble does it not? Since every R.M is unique to each entity, I will have to vary it slightly from the one I had originally intended. I am aware of how TOUGH Typemoon veterans are when it comes to knowledge, even in fanfiction.**

**What did you think? I welcome any constructive comments and reviews. If there is some inconsistencies in Typemoon explanations, I do apologise, but it is AU so some changes would occur. And this will be updated when it is ready. Thanks to all!**

**Jack of Blades image in my profile link, see for yourself**

**Wardog appearance link in my profile as well**

**Druid**


	2. Fate: Archon's Revelation

**AN: Hello everybody! Well it seems like I finally am in a mood for Fanfiction writing! Not Fanfiction reading, I always have mood for that. Being busy in life and having some blocks here and there would be quite troublesome I suppose.**

**So, I have decided to further this idea for my FSN/Fable crossover, and I have taken some time to develop Jack of Blades Reality Marble. The resemblance to another well known one is rather strong, but I made sure this time I took the "Uniqueness" of each R.M to account. Just enough to make it different, but seriously, Jack's character is just too strikingly similar to EMIYA.**

**This chapter...concludes the battle at the Chamber of Fate, once again was not happy with the supposed "Final Boss" in the original Fable. Just to let you know in advance, I am disregarding most of Lost Chapters canon, and making changes here and there. One of such changes is Avo's Tear; the description was rather...lackluster for a weapon that allegedly matches Sword of Aeons, an everyday sword turned legendary weapon by a Mage...seriously?**

**Okay, let's get on with this.**

******DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or Fable, this is fanfiction for a reason.**

******"Powerful being talking/Chants"**

* * *

He was at the centre of what would very likely be a Coliseum, a very big Coliseum that resembled an enclosed battlefield more than anything else. It was perhaps ten times the size of Witchwood Arena and that was certainly saying something. Enclosing this battle ground were substantially high walls, perhaps close to 100 metres in height. The most interesting point to note was that despite the imposing structures, the Hero could still see the sky, and what lies beyond the said walls.

Beyond the walls was a city, with equally tall structures, all of them made of the blackest stone, and at the centre of every tall structure, an ominous red light glowed from them. Who knows how many people it must have taken to build what he has witnessed. To complete the 'scenery', was a twisted parody of a 'sky'. There was no endless blue void with white clouds, instead it was endless sky of metal gears, far larger than anything ever witnessed, even for the Hero himself. These monumental structures were floating high above the sky, so large that they literally blot out anything beyond them, save for the odd rays of blood-red light coming through gaps of said airborne structures. The gears were perpetually gyrating as well, moving on their own.

The Hero was slightly awed by the sight, but thankfully he had the common sense to read up on the Archon's accounts and journals that were located in his library and that included his past confrontation with the same member of the Court.

He broke out of his musings when Jack appeared in front of the Hero, his sword in his hand again. The masked ancestor gave off a relaxed sigh, almost as if savouring the view, appreciating the twisted beauty of it.

**"Magnificent, it has literally been centuries since I have called upon the mind and will of the Court; yet this beautiful...awe-inspiring sight is more than enough to humble this soul of Blades...impress me once more Hero, are you aware **_**what**_** exactly this is?"**

When William Black faced Jack centuries ago, he wrote in his journal, the name of this power.

"Reality Marble", the Hero of Oakvale responded. Jack gave a nod in his direction, satisfied with his knowledge. Jack then took the initiative to continue this seemingly casual conversation.

**"Indeed it is **_**Hero**_**, as dear old **_**Black**_** has noted; though I was amazed when he tried to find an explanation of this potentiality, a privilege borne solely by the members of the Void, he called it an 'alien common sense of demons', claiming that it was how twisted beings like us perceive existence. That the Reality marble is a representation of our very nature and mind...despite the harshness of his words he was not wrong." **The ancestor turned his full attention back towards the Hero, Sword of Aeons pointed towards him.

**"I suppose you can call me vain in every extent of the word, admiring my own mind, my own nature. Alien common sense indeed! We can continue this conversation in time, I know you are looking forward to this battle. So why not get to it?"**

The sword of Aeons started to burn a bright purple flame, the Hero of Oakvale heard the gyrating sounds of the sky-gears loudening. Jack raised his sword high pointing towards the sky-gears, a large pulse of will was released. Then the Hero heard sounds of..explosions? There were countless of them and it was deafening. If he were any normal man, he would have too disoriented and perhaps gone insane from the deafening sound.

And then, a countless number of blades fell from the sky, not unlike a rain of metal or a hail of razor. Many a weapon, from daggers, longswords through to war-axes fell towards the ground, all of them firmly stuck to the sandy battlefield-like coliseum The noise, and the rain lasted merely a few seconds and by the end of it the ground was filled with many a blade, anchored to the ground like grave-markers. Miraculously enough, none of them fell on the Hero, a small area around him was untouched.

Jack then pointed his sword towards the Hero, the purple flames still burning.

**"**_**Jack of Blades, Master of Blades"**__, _when Jack said the phrase, hundreds of weapons surrounding the hero started to shake violently, and in moments were pulled out by an invisible force, suspended in the air. The now floating weapons were all pointed towards the him. It was then they surged, with the very clear intention of skewering , cleaving, stabbing and piercing him. Indeed it was quite an inconvenient position...

The Hero thought fast, he released his Od and powered it with mana; performing full reinforcement of his entire being. Upon completion, he used significant amounts of Will to conjure hundreds of ethereal Ghost Swords to intercept the tidal wave of surging blades on Jack's end.

Clashes, the unmistakeable sound of blades colliding with one another was heard throughout the reality marble; and as soon as it started the Hero's Ghost swords managed to knock away the charging weapons, giving him a moment of reprieve. Most of the weapons that actually made through were halted by the sheer toughness of the Hero's reinforced body and armour. Though tarry he would not, as he brandished Harbinger intending to end the fight as soon as he could.

Jack for most part was unsurprised by the Hero's competence to escape what would have been a gruesome death; he expected nothing less from a descendant of the self titled Archon. Jack braced himself for the coming clash, his eyes once again filled with glee of facing an enemy whom just refuses to die.

He would not have it any other way

Renewed assaults, a dance of death between two beings whom were closest to becoming a god, both of them were struggling for supremacy over the other. The Hero of Oakvale landed strike after strike unrelentingly, whilst Jack's defences and skill with his weapon made it very difficult for the Hero to exploit any weaknesses.

Though like any other stalemate, it would not stay for long and thankfully for the Hero, he eventually had the upper hand in the fight; whether it be from Jack's complacency during the course of the centuries with no true contender or some other reason, he started to detect holes in the ancestor's technique.

So if you see holes in an enemy's stance, you will rip it open.

Through some extra footwork and repositioning of his strikes, the Hero managed to break through Jack's defence and land a very convincing strike on the Ancestor, by slicing off his right hand, the Sword of Aeons with it.

If Jack was in pain or even shocked he surely did not show it, though the Hero did ponder as to whether he was capable of feeling those things. Jack's slitted eyes merely eyed the stump of his right arm, almost curiously. It lasted for but a moment before his attention diverted back to the Hero, and what happened next would be a surprise.

The stump of Jack's right arm started...mending itself, regenerating if you will; though the way it did was unorthodox. Black Blades, so small to the naked eye grew out from the stump, hundreds, clustered together and slowly formed the shape of a limb, and in a few seconds, the ancestor's hand was no longer a stump, but rather the same same arm, as if nothing happened. The one that was sliced off crumbled into a black dust; all that was left was Jack's sword on the dirt ground.

**"I am from the Court of Blades for a reason Hero, you know as well that I am no mortal, and hence not of flesh. Though I suppose I did not truly relate to you as to my true nature, well now you know"**

The Hero remained calm guarded, but his annoyance showing from his retort "So...am I suppose to think that you are literally an entity made of blades?"

**"I would have thought that to be obvious." **Jack then reached for the two masks attached to his torso armour, pulling them off their spot.

"What are you doing Jack?!" the Hero was once again filled with a sense of impending trouble, when Jack did something that he had no idea what was, there was a good likelihood it would spell some kind of inconvenience to him. He readied himself for another charge if need be.

**"A reunion of old friends...of family." **That was all Jack said, thousands of very small blades rose out from the ground to his left and right, and taking a humanoid form, one was large, almost behemoth in size, the other tall and slender.

The academic mind of Hero had a sneaking suspicion as to who was being summoned, there was no way he could allow Jack to finish whatever he was about to do. Then, as if the the reality marble was able to read his mind, very large blades; black and hilt-less rose up from the ground around the Hero, effectively blocking him from moving until the deed was done.

Wielding Harbinger, he landed strike after strike on the black wall of blades, and not surprisingly it remained undamaged, that goes to show that if Jack wanted to cheat...well he would have done that without much problem. This still remained a mystery for the Hero of Oakvale, it was a Reality Marble, the realm that was the embodiment of Jack of Blades of himself, he was indeed at the Void ancestor's mercy, for most parts. With the odds still so firmly stacked against him, why was it that Jack was fighting him with comparatively 'even' odds?

All the more he is under the impression that Jack had other plans, and right now he is really going all his way to do so.

It was not long until the "summoning" of sorts came to an end, and standing to Jacks left and right were two individuals, similar in appearance but still distinct from each other. To Jack's left, was indeed a behemoth, though that was perhaps in terms of height; its body covered entirely by ornate but form-fitting black armour, no flesh exposed from the individual, though of course the most distinguishing feature was his mask and similar yellow slitted eyes. The behemoth wielded what was essentially a greatsword, with an unusually long hilt that made it resemble an over-sized bladed lance.

The individual to Jack's right was certainly very distinct as well, from what the Hero of Oakvale could identify, the shape and frame of the individual certainly strongly implied a female. The female individual had a similar appearance to Jack in that her entire person was covered head to toe in either armour or a cloak and no skin was exposed. That was without saying that this individual also had an ornate mask covering her entire face.

Though her distinguishing features was a thorn-like golden crown. She wore a near jet-black cuirass that had a heart stuck at the centre of the breast-plate. She also wore an unusual pair of gauntlets with long and sharp 'fingers', for the lack of a better description. Though where the behemoth radiated the aura of a bloodthirsty warrior, the female entity had an equally dark aura, but screamed regality. Her appearance certainly indicated that much. In her right hand, was a bladed staff with a large Red Gem at the centre of the tip.

So the Hero of Oakvale is now facing three individuals instead of Jack alone; and he did not have to think long to ascertain the identity of the two new-comers into their fight in this Reality Marble.

"The Knight of Blades...and the Queen of Blades" The Hero spoke out, his voice just louder than a whisper. It seemed that this battle had just become more uphill, if it was not already.

**"Not exactly Hero"** the three void ancestors, the Knight, the Jack and the Queen spoke in unearthly unison, **"Black, the _exalted_ Archon destroyed the Knight and the Queen entirely, with the Sword of Aeons. Their mind and their being have ceased to be. Though that does not say much about their power and their image; the Court is connected, when one is vanquished the surviving will inherit their power, and since Black destroyed the Knight and the Queen, their power and their image is mine to use." **All the while, the three spoke with perfect synchronisation.

The Sword of Aeons jerked and returned to the hands of his owner, and all three Ancestors assumed their combat stances. This time, the Jack of Blades spoke alone **" That did not say much about me, Black _cannot_ destroy me with my own weapon, no matter how hard he tries; I am my Sword if nothing else."**

Attacks were renewed, and this time is was one against three even if the persona of the Knight and Queen of Blades were merely summoned through Jack. The Hero of Oakvale knew this was going to get very troublesome, and if he were to lack focus for even one moment suffice to say he would be dead.

The Knight of Blades fought with inhuman ferocity, his war cry would bring paralysing fear into the hearts of lesser men. Despite the size of his greatsword the Knight was able to wield it and attack with shocking finesse, every strike that barely missed the Hero created shockwaves that would have staggered him. The Knight was obviously a very physical fighter, evidenced by the fact that he performed no magecraft whatsoever. Perhaps reinforcing himself to the limits in order to hit so hard but that might have been the extent.

Despite the overwhelming force of nature, the Knight of Blades was surprisingly predictable; perhaps because he was not the real void Ancestor. His pattern of attack consisted of solely charging head on to completely destroy the Hero, with very reckless abandon.

The Queen of Blades' method of engagement was understandably the opposite; given that her weapon was a staff, she relied heavily on many forms of destructive spells, and her knowledge of them was shocking; fireball, lightning, and many other powers that he had not heard of, one of such foreign destruction spells include a burst of blood red energy the size of a crossbow bolt fired from the Queen's outstretched index finger, the Hero of Oakvale was caught by surprise when the said burst of energy travelled to him five times faster that the speed of said bolts...and hits ten times harder. Not surprisingly as well, she had the tendency to summon hundreds of Ghost Blades, half of the number is dispatched upon the Hero and the other half circling the Queen almost protectively. Compounded by the fact that the Queen was keeping her distance from him, the Hero was legitimately annoyed.

Jack remained Jack, focusing on speed and skill, landing precise blows on the Hero; even if the Queen and the Knight were not real per se, he knew that this was indeed the sheer terror of facing the Court, all three of them. The Knight's berserker-like charge, the Queen's ranged spells and Jack's uncanny eye for exploiting one's weakness made them a living hell for any person facing them.

At the combined might of the Court, the Hero was slowly succumbing to the overwhelming onslaught. The Queen's bolt-like attack staggered the Hero, and that spelled bad news. This gave the Knight an opportunity to land an earth-shattering strike on said Hero. He could not dodge it in time so he did the next best thing, he raised Harbinger, hoping that it was sufficient to block it.

No such luck, the Knight's strike was every bit fearsome, and his greatsword effortlessly shatter the sword of Elda and Essa, but somewhat thankfully Harbinger was no weak blade itself, the force was sufficient to knock the Knight back slightly. Despite a reinforced body, the pain of the force was excruciating, the Hero's arms strained to its limits. Though that was no end to it.

Time seemed to slow down, as the Knight of Blades retreated a distance and replacing him was the unmistakeable mask of the Jack, if his face was not covered by his mask, the Hero would have thought that Jack would be wearing a victorious and bloodthirsty grin.

A stab...

Time returned to normal, the Hero of Oakvale looked down at his torso; Jack rammed his sword into the Hero's stomach, Archon's armour not strong enough to stop the razor sharp edge. For a moment the Hero felt shock...but that was only for a moment and then there was pain.

Jack removed his sword from the Hero's stomach, with that out of the way said hero found it hard to stand upright and was forced to his knees. The void ancestor stepped back a bit, from his body expression and his eyes, Jack of Blades was no longer amused, but rather he looked almost disappointed. Despite the Hero's blinding pain, he remained lucid, trying to ascertain the sheer enigmatic and unpredictable demeanour and thoughts of the Masked ancestor.

**"Is that it Hero? Is that the extent of the abilities the descendant of Black is capable of? I expected a battle of unimaginable proportions, a fight worthy of our name and out title. The people of Albion call you Avatar, yet you fall when I have decided to give you my all. Do you not want to save Albion? Do you not want to learn the truths that I know? Are you this hopeless?"**

The pain was mounting, the Hero's eyes were bleary, almost as if his very body was at its last legs; he was so very tempted to fall to an eternal sleep, to accept death. Alas, Jack of Blades a being of the void was far too much for him to handle; for he was mortal, Jack was immortal.

**"Your ancestor, William Black faced the might of the Court, when the Knight and the Queen were still in existence. Indeed he was facing an uphill battle, yet in the end he had bested us. You are his closest descendant, and yet you are conceding defeat?" **Jack approached the kneeling figure of the Hero, his posture non-hostile which would have been surprising if he could have seen it.

**"There is...one fact that I deem prudent for you to understand, why could the Archon best the Court of Blades. After all, no mortal could ever defeat a being of the Void...it is impossible. Though I suppose if you fail to understand that, you will indeed meet your death here and now." **The Hero heard the last sentence, forcibly ignored his pain in favour of understanding this piece of information, even as Jack slowly raised his sword towards the Hero's neck.

Indeed very little was known beyond the myths and fables of the Archon, even with his diary the Hero understood there were some details that were left out by Black. One such detail was who he actually was beyond his title and name. If what Jack said was true, then it was impossible for a mortal to destroy an immortal.

Realisation hit him, with the weight and force of a war-hammer; the Court and the Archon, were like beings.

Immortal...

Energy, and will he did not know was within him sparked and the pain from the stab was gone. The Hero was now aware of Black's nature, and by extension himself. For now, he will need to use this new-found knowledge to get out of this throat-slitting position.

He conjured Will and released it outward, creating a force push; Jack was promptly blown back and the Hero was back on his feet once more.

The wound on his stomach started to shine brightly, but instead of mending itself something else happened. A form was slowly surfacing from the light, it resembled strongly to that of a hilt. The Hero reached for the object protruding from his stomach and gave a strong pull. Once the object was removed, his wound was gone.

In his hands, was a sword, its hilt and blade resembled the Sword of Aeons in many ways, though it was different. The blade was a shining silver with blue runic markings, its hilt was a combination of silver, and grey. As the Hero held the sword in his hand, he was surprised. It felt right wielding it, almost as if it was made for him, it was light but weighty enough to feel the strikes he would make. He felt empowered...

**"William Black may have been the first Archon of Albion, but he was not the first of his nature; he was a descendant to a being of the Void. Contrary to the views of Mortals, the Void was not a place solely inhabited by darkness...it is the Root of all existence, a place where immortality is as common as men in Albion. It takes a special something to be at the top, the Court and the one you call Archon were such beings."**

Jack took back his stance, and so did the visage of the Knight and Queen; this time, the Hero did not feel daunted, no longer was he uncertain of his fate. He took his stance as well, with the unnamed sword in his hand, he would call it Archon's Tear.

The Queen of Blades conjured hundreds of Ethereal Blades, and willed them to strike the Hero down, the Knight prepared himself, ready to charge with renewed ferocity, and Jack raised many more swords from the ground and sent them towards the Hero.

The Hero no longer had trouble keeping up with the onslaught; though he did not summon Ghost swords this time. He merely charged significant amounts of Od and powered them further with mana with his left hand, and slammed said hand to the ground. A large barrier was formed, in face of the rain of death.

Hundreds through to thousands of collisions were heard, the ghost swords dispersed upon touching the barrier whilst the more corporeal blades bounced off effortlessly. It lasted for close to a minute and then it stopped.

The Hero lowered his barrier, and saw the Court charging towards his position; well the Knight was charging towards him, the Queen powered another destruction spell whilst Jack circled the Hero, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

So he focused on the Knight, he realised that the Knight was attacking much slower, or perhaps it was due to his now improved awareness. He promptly dodged the earth-shattering strike from the armoured ancestor and with one fell swoop, cleanly sliced off the Knight's head. It was so shockingly easy, though he may account it to the fact that the Knight was merely a visage.

With his head disconnected from his body, the entire form of the Knight dispersed in a mist of red energy and promptly returned to the Jack of Blades, the mask also gravitated back to his torso.

The Queen of blades spell was done, and she promptly launched tens of blot-like energy towards the Hero; said Hero charged Od into his legs and performed an Assassin Rush towards the Queen, dodging every bolt. Unfortunately for the visage, she was unable to avoid fast enough and suffered a similar fate to the Knight of blades, with Archon's Tear shoved deeply into the centre of her chest, where the heart was visible. The same happened, her form dispersed into a mist and longside her mask, made its way back to Jack.

The Hero now had his full attention on Jack, he raised the bladed end of his sword to the surviving void ancestor;

"Jack...one last decisive fight, no tricks, and no spells! Show me the extent of your your skill, give me your all and I will give you mine! We will settle this once and for all." white flame-like aura surrounding his body.

Jack said nothing, but gave off a hearty laugh, an excited laugh. He nodded his head, his form radiated a red flame; and faster than the eye could see, he pushed forward. This Hero did the same, the Jack and Master of Blades against the Second Archon.

Flurry, endless flurry of strikes, parrying, dodging; two maelstroms of power clashing with each other, every collision creating a shock-wave that would have shattered the very foundations of Albion if not for the Reality Marble. A deadlock far greater than before that lasted for what would have been an eternity.

Finally, both Sword of Aeons and Archon's Tear were locked together, both wielders pushing, trying to overpower the other. It was then that both their vision went white.

* * *

Unknown Vision - Hero's POV

A swirling vortex of red could be seen in the sky, the Hero could not ascertain his specific location. His body felt oddly...detached almost as if he was intangible.

He stood up and saw a few striking things, he was standing at the side of a large stone circular platform, filled with countless of runes. Surrounding it was a void with swirling vortexes, the Hero was convinced this was The Void, the root of Existence, though he was thoroughly puzzled, how did he come here from his fight with Jack?

He looked to the centre, and saw a tall figure; he was clad in the same armour as he was, he adorned the same helm but his entire body was covered in a robe rather than armour. He was chanting a spell, and a pitch black mass was coming out from the man's chest, slowly at first but more came out as black mist and was converging in front of the man.

He heard the man declare loudly, **"Vile Corruption of the Void, paragon of evil and malice, I command you out from my body...you have no power in this vessel thus I command you OUT!"**

The black mist now poured out of the man in waves, much like a full purge and when it had ended, the black mass was twice the size of the man and was floating in front of him...formless.

The mass then spoke, **"William Black, the almighty Archon to the Kingdom of Albion...how very riveting to finally meet you in person."**

The Hero's eyes widened, it looks like he was witnessing something that took place in the past, the Archon's past.

If Black's face was not covered with his helm the Hero would have suspected that his face was contorted to a sneer.

"You have no power over me vile Corruptor, this is testament to that fact...I have banished you back to the void, never to return." Black declared, his rage building.

If the mass had a face, it might have been amused **"Perhaps...I may not have power over the Great Archon, but let it be known that I am born from you. I might not be stronger but at most I am your equal, and since you now rule over this land of Mortals...perhaps I will instead have power over the land of your sovereignty."**

The Archon raised his hand, and the mass was enclosed into a sphere-shaped barrier, "No, not now, not ever...you will have no power over any land, no hold over Gaia. By my will of Archon you shall be sealed, into the deepest reaches of The Void, never to return!" Black then resumed chanting, and a complex array of runes started forming along the energy barrier. The sealing would be done, and the Corruptor would be sealed for all eternity.

The mass merely chuckled **"Unlike you William, I am patient; it is only a matter of time when I will be released onto Gaia, and when that happens I will claim Albion as my dominion much like how you claim it as yours now. Try to your heart's content, but my time of ascension will be _Fate's will_." **declared the entity before the incantation was complete, and the sealed mass was transported to the deepest reaches of the Void.

"May you never return Corruptor...I pray that day will never come..." those were the last words he heard before the Hero's vision blurred again, back towards the present and his battle with the last member of the Court.

* * *

Reality Marble - Court of Blades

His eyes refocused, the Hero was astounded that he was still in a the deadlock with the ancestor, he must have been in a trance but his body responded on instinct alone. He looked at Jack in the eyes and they gleamed Knowingly.

It was then something unexpected happened, he felt Jack's forced reduce, enough for the Hero to break through his defences. So he did just so, he made a quick parry and with one last decisive action, run Archon's Tear through Jack's chest. The tables were turned it seemed, but he knew better.

"You gave up Jack...", the Hero asked, he was confused as to Jack's motivation once again; it was completely unbelievable to discover that the void ancestor was willing to give up on the fight all so suddenly.

**"What is there to give up Hero? I suppose you have seen the deeply hidden truth?" **Was Jack's cryptic statement, his body was slowly crumbling to dust, starting from his feet.

"I grow tired this! What did I just see? What is the truth? And finally why did you decide to invade Albion?", Jack was speaking for too much in riddles, it was indeed much more preferable to the Hero to get a straight answer from the Ancestor, and hopefully before his body completely crumbles.

**"Indeed...why _did _I invade Albion...you have certainly earned answers by beating me...although I forfeited, a victory is a victory." **Jack stated, his right hand was now lax, and the Sword of Aeons was now free from his grip.

"Well?"

**"The invasion of Albion was my original plan, after Black's victory and after that _abomination_ was birthed. I assure you the black mass you have seen was no friend of the Court, neither is it a friend of all that exists. I was unsure as to the nature of the _thing_ so I had to be sure. Now with your help I know what it truly is, controlling Albion is no longer a viable option...hence my forfeit."**

"This is not helping at all, what was that black mass I saw? And how does this vision make you change your plans so..ABRUPTLY!?" the Hero pressed, getting increasingly incredulous.

Jack's form now crumbling much faster, but he continued** "Fate...Hero, is a powerful force; when it dictates that something will happen it will, it is all a question of time...this world is no Fable with a happy ending. William Black and this _Corrupter_ are one of the same and he knew it, he just continued to deny and denial got him nowhere. I am merely avoiding that Fate rather than attempting...and failing to change it. You are a smart man Hero, you should know what the _Corrupter_ is, you do not need my help..."**

The Hero contemplated on what was said, he suppose that was the extent of what Jack would answer; it was still in riddles, but certainly a little clearer.

As Jack's body crumbled entirely into dust, his mask was left; he left some final parting words, **"We will have the pleasure of acquaintance in future, after Weaver's time is over you will find a way to consult me. For now, you have won a victory...savour it while you can."**

Jack's mask was now rendered silent, a flash of light blinded him and the Hero was transported back to the Chamber of Fate.

* * *

Chamber of Fate

When the Hero of Oakvale regained his vision, Jack's mask and his sword was on the cold stone floor; he looked around and saw that barrier imprisoning his sister fell as well. He grasped his supposed nemesis' sword with his left hand.

Though as he grasped the Sword of Aeons, something strange happened, a familiar crimson flame enveloped the Sword, though it did not burn. It was only for a moment, and when it was done, the Sword was gone, disappeared in his hands.

"I suppose what you said is true, you are indeed your Sword...once you are gone...it is gone." The Hero muttered to himself.

"Little brother?" the Hero looked back at his sister, though blind she knew exactly where he was, and she was 'looking' at him with worry.

"Yes Theresa?"

"So it's over? What about the Sword?"

"Jack's sword is gone, lost for who knows how long, much like himself. I suppose that is the end of it dear sister, this is a moment of...reprieve that we have earned." The Hero said, he was still unwilling to tell his sister what he had seen and what he had discovered when he fought Jack in the Reality Marble.

"Well that is certainly an interesting way to say that we have won...there is more to this isn't there brother?"

"That goes without saying sister, but you have no need to know." The Hero dismissed her question.

Theresa looked concerned for a moment, he face showed uncertainty and doubt. Though that soon changed, Theresa trusted her brother so she will respect his judgement "so be it then...hopefully Jack and his sword is lost forever."

Theresa then gave his brother a tender smile, "I think it is time I found where I belong, I know it isn't here..." his sister then gave him loving hug. The Hero missed that loving gesture, so he did the same, he was lucky that she was still alive, that he still had family.

"See you around brother." With that, Theresa made her way out of the Chamber.

"I really hope so sister, farewell". He spoke as her form faded into the darkness of the chamber.

The Hero looked at the fallen Mask of Jack, its ceramic face gleaming. He reached for the mask, and gave it a good long glance.

"Fate...if it is fate that dictates that we meet again, then so be it. Until that time comes...Jack of Blades." He then stored the mask in his cloak, and he made his way out of the Chamber of Fate.

He would need to consult Weaver about fixing the now ruined chamber, just to keep his mind off what he had learned.

* * *

**AN: Chapter 2 is finally done, not sure how many more I am going to write for this but I do have an ending in mind for it already. **

**So what do you think? I will consider and appreciate reviews and constructive criticisms, always finding ways to improve, and I am still not fully learned in certain intrinsic Typemoon lore. **

**Avo's Tear is now Archon's Tear, and its origins changed. More explanation on its nature in future Chapters. Also, what do you think about me giving more meat to Corrupter's Identity? What do you think its role in Typemoon would have been?**

**Oh yes, for those seeking Knight of Blades and Queen of Blades' appearance, I have attached links to my profile.**

**Hopefully you enjoyed it, and future Chapters will be ready when they are ready. Good day to all.**

**Druid**


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